Part A:
Racism was a huge factor in the movie “Crash”. The movie demonstrated how many people in America and around the world act towards certain races and cultures. An example of this occurred at the beginning of the film when the Persian family was attempting to purchase a gun. The clerk at the gun shop made a few blatantly racist comments about the perceptions of the customers. There were several references to the twin towers and planes. It didn’t matter that the two were Persian, not Arab. A reoccurring theme was that post 9/11, all Middle Eastern people became potential terrorists. This demonstrates how people aim their anger and frustration at people of certain ethnic groups. Stereotyping was also a major factor in the film. In one of the scenes, Sandra Bullocks character made a statement about the relationship between white and black people:
”If a white woman sees two black men walking towards her and turns the other way, she’s a racist. Well I got scared and didn’t say anything, and the next thing I knew, I had a gun shoved in my head!”
The stereotypical behaviour between White and Black people has definitely survived the test of time and has proved to be one of the things preventing true human equality. It is often believed that all young black men are destined to be thugs, criminals and drug dealers. Additionally it is a common statistic that the majority of incarcerated males are African American; it’s incredibly tough for Black males to break through this stereotype. People of other racial backgrounds have also been targeted, like when Sandra Bullock’s character first saw the Mexican locksmith, she made a snap judgment. “He is a gang-banger because of his shaved head, prison tattoos and his pants around his ass.” She determined that he was going to sell her house keys to one of his “homeys.” Contrary to her analysis, he was a soft-spoken, sensitive family man. This impression was also shared by the Persian shopkeeper who made the false assumption that the Mexican locksmith was a member of some elaborate scheme to rip him off. The shopkeeper’s bold ignorance and inability to listen prevented him from hearing important information. If he had listened, he would have gotten a new door and as a result, prevented the vandalism.
Race and ethnic relationships in America have always been rough and appalling; in many cases, violent. The conflict between stereotypes has existed for hundreds of years and it’s believed that it’ll never end. The movie accurately portrayed a sense of corruption in the justice system when
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